Rockin' to his own religious beat: EastLake pastor, churchgoers congregate in Bothell

By TOM CORRIGAN, BOTHELL REPORTER

Updated 10:00 pm, Friday, September 10, 2010

“We’re always doing something, I’m interested in building a community that (cares),” said Ryan Meeks, 31, pastor of the non-denominational EastLake Community Church, which sits in a Bothell warehouse completely devoid of any bell towers or stained-glass windows.

The church attracts some 4,000 members to its high-decibel Sunday services, which Meeks usually presides over in jeans and a T-shirt.

“It’s not to be cool or edgy,” Meeks insists, referring directly to his preferred style of clothing, but the comment presumably could apply to his overall approach to running what he claims is one of the largest congregations in the Puget Sound area. Meeks seems determined for EastLake to live up to its motto, “Church for the rest of us.”

“You don’t have to know or even own a Bible,” Meeks said of attending the church he originally helped found in a Kirkland school. Meeks didn’t name the bar, but said there is a tavern in Kirkland where church members still “play pool, hang out and grab a beer or two.”

Grabbing a beer or two earned the EastLake congregation some publicity recently, but for the wrong reason, according to Meeks.

Last month, the church hosted a “Drinks for Drinks” night featuring a live band, a barbecue and 30 or so kegs of beer, plus wine.

“It was just a big party,” Meeks said, adding that more importantly the event was a fund-raiser for charity:water, an international nonprofit that helps provide clean water in developing countries.

Meeks said the church’s meeting space, which he added holds more people than the Paramount Theater in downtown Seattle, was packed. Local TV cameras showed up to cover the evening.

“What’s stupid is that we got all sorts of attention because we served alcohol in a church,” Meeks said, adding he wishes the rest of the Christian community wasn’t so “freaking uptight.” To him, the real issue is that one in six of the world’s population doesn’t have access to clean water, that lack of clean water kills more people than war.

“That is unacceptable,” Meeks said, adding that EastLake has raised approximately $250,000 for charity:water and he plans another “Drinks for Drinks” event next year.

The church’s current big push is support of an upcoming AIDS walk.

Past happenings include a “porn weekend” and having once appeared during a service sporting a T-shirt proclaiming “Jesus Loves Porn Stars,” Meeks seems to be on a crusade against pornography. At the same time, he makes it clear he welcomes anyone in his church. He said he has visited the annual porn industry convention in Las Vegas and claimed a friendship with porn actor Ron Jeremy, even hoping to invite Jeremy to EastLake at some point in the future.

“We’re all about, I’m screwed up and so are you... We want to be a hospital for sinners, not a hotel for saints,” Meeks said.

One reason is Meeks’ belief that a church is not a place to visit, but a community. During the week, EastLake has various “Growth Groups” meeting at different locations throughout the area. Meeks said those groups can gather for Bible study or be far more social in nature.

“Whatever works,” he said, “whatever brings people together.”

EastLake’s Sunday services take place in that warehouse space with the congregation sitting on folding chairs and listening to a rock-style band. Church members are told they can sing along or not. The set up reflects a belief that pipe organs and pews are hold-overs from the Middle Ages. Meeks said many see traditional churches as somewhat boring and he couldn’t agree more.

“We’re all about Jesus and not about organized religion,” Meeks said.

Despite his purposefully unorthodox approach, Meeks can sound like a traditional pastor, one who trained at a traditional Bible college, even if he added it was one of the most boring experiences of his life.

“It’s all about what will bring people in here... what will being Jesus Christ into people’s lives. God is hope,” Meeks said.